Monday, October 06, 2008

Pumpkin Spice Bread with Maple Cheesecake Layer

There are a few baking blogs that I read with religious devotion, and Culinary Concoctions by Peabody happens to be one of them. She takes amazing pictures, develops creative recipes, and often tells funny stories. The entry that includes this recipe actually has a great story but I didn't notice it until I'd looked at it three times. All I had eyes for were these amazing layers of pumpkin spice bread and maple cheesecake, all in one delicious mini loaf.

When it came time to make the recipe, I didn't have loaf pans, so I pulled out my trusty bundt pan that I found for 50c at a garage sale in Broad Ripple, Indiana. It is an old fashioned metal one that you probably can't even buy anymore, but I adore it and make almost every breadlike or cakelike recipe in it. Someday I'll get out of my rut.

You can tell there is more pumpkin spice on the "top" of the cake, meaning the "bottom" ended up being more like a marbled bread-and-cheesecake mixture, but frankly, I didn't care because it just tasted SO good. I also left the nuts out, like usual.

The day the weather drops below 70 degrees or there is even a slight hint of a chill in the breeze, I have to start baking more. Autumn demands it! Just this weekend I made ginger cookies for a hiking trip, Souffled Pumpkin Oven Pancake for breakfast on Saturday, and this pumpkin spice bread. This one won the weekly blog post, hands down. You have to try it. Go to her blog today for the recipe and other great creations.